Universal Home Theatre Remotes
Logitech Harmony 900
Most coffee tables I’ve seen (mine included) have a nice assortment of remote controls.
While the clutter of different remotes for each device is cumbersome, the idea of programming and paying hundreds of dollars for a universal remote seems like a lot of effort.
Logitech universal remotes have been working on the ease of use issue (if not price) and with the latest Harmony 900 remote, they are making some serious headway.
While the device will cost you $399, this button/touch screen hybrid remote can control most of the devices in your home theatre. Setup through a web interface makes the programming a snap and this remote features an RF to IR blaster, so you can control your equipment from almost anywhere in the house.
While these features are all well and good, there are some serious drawbacks (besides price.) The touchscreen uses a lot of power so you now have to have a power cord running to a recharge cradle where you want to keep your remote. The RF to IR blasters help solve the need to point your remote directly to the device you want to control but the blasters themselves add cables and clutter to the setup.
So why are we talking about this here? Because the iPhone could make a great universal remote. You’ll most likely have your phone on you while at the TV and the interface allows for all sorts of control. What the iPhone doesn’t have is IR or RF, but it does have bluetooth and wifi. As more devices have wifi, this could be the universal standard for remotes.
First step is to perfect the Apple TV iPhone Remote app. Although the interface is great, the time it takes to connect is way too slow. When Apple gets this perfected, other devices are sure to follow.
In the meantime, if Logitech comes out with a universal remote app with a Wifi to IR blaster, I’m in.
